WORDLESS WEDNESDAY....Nana & Madisyn

Sneak Peak......

Hello, I wanted to give you a sneak peak of Madisyn's room in progress! Remember as an infant she had the white walls with one red wall and Lady bugs, Well since she will be moving to a new BIG girl bed soon we thought we would Spice her room up some....So here it is in Progress

Neon Purple is the Color, and Her Quilt set matches Perfect....

The Bed you see is her BIG girl Bed...I'm so not ready for this...

And a view of the Quilt set....Isn't it so GIRLY....Fit for a Princess

And when you ask Madisyn what she thinks of her Big Girl Room, She gets a hugh Smile and said WOW, Pretty....it's so Funny!

I won the Brillante Weblog Award....GO ME

I'm BRILLIANT I tell ya!

Okay so not really.But Lisa (http://our-journey-for-sophia.blogspot.com/), and Natalie( http://cooksadoption.blogspot.com/) thinks I am so right now we are going to pretend that she's right!

I'm brilliant and so therefore I have received the "Brilliant Weblog Award"!Check it out...Better than an Academy Award, right?

And yes, I have been accused of being Academy Award worthy before too but I so much prefer the Brilliant Weblog Award! It SOOOO speaks my name!Okay so here is how this thing works:1st I have to answer a little questionnaire thingy which is pretty much all about ME!Get excited folks - this is big stuff!

Then I have to choose 7 bloggers who I feel are BRILLIANT (see list below) and I give them the award.They will post their own answers to the questionnaire on their own blog and they will choose 7 more recipients.And so it goes! Here is the questionnaire (drum roll please...)

A. Attached or single? Attached

B. Best friend? My Husband & Ginger & My Mother in Law...There's more than one!

C. Cake or pie? Cake

D. Day of choice? Saturday

E. Essential item? My family

F. Favorite color? purple

G. Gummy bears or worms? Worms

H. Hometown? Haines City Florida

I. Indulgence? Sweet Tea

J. January or July? January, duh, it's my birthday!

K. Kids? 2 and 1 on the way

L. Life isn’t complete without? God, my husband, and my kids!

M. Marriage date? Today 8/03/2007 One year ago

N. Number of brothers & sisters? 3 Sister, 1 Half Brother

O. Oranges or apples? Oranges

P. Phobias? Small spaces and Roaches, and Spiders

Q. Quotes? Adoption may not change the world, But for that one child the World will change!

R. Reasons to smile? My life

S. Season of choice? Fall

T. Tag seven peeps! (see below)

U. Unknown fact about me? I'm very OCD

V. Vegetable? broccoli

W. Worst habits? Biting my nails

X. X-ray or ultrasound? Neither

Y. Your favorite food? Chinese or Seafood

Z. Zodiac sign? Aquarius

1. Corey (http://gaynesadventuresinparenting.blogspot.com/)
2. Shelby(http://www.princessbreahna.blogspot.com/)
3. Heather (http://adoptfostermom.blogspot.com/)
4. Alleen (http://santanaadoption.blogspot.com/)
5. Tricia (http://ourguatemalanbaby.blogspot.com/)
6. Ginger (http://www.meandmygirlmaya.blogspot.com/)
7. Julia (http://thejujucrew.blogspot.com/)

FFF# 50= Crazy Hair and Bed Heads....

Madisyn's hair being so curly unless you wet it, Everyday and Anyday is a bad hair day. So here are a few of her, Her hair isn't so bad now that it is growing longer but when it was short....WOW watch out...Here is the angel herself....

Christmas Break December of 07'

Spring of 07'

And I have NO idea when this was....

Please be sure to read the post under this one, There is so BIG news in there that I wanna share with everyone. Hope everyone has a nice weekend.. It is mine and Jed's 1st wedding anniversary so we are actually spending the night via NO baby this weekend....WOOOHOOO!!!!

Spilling my BEANS again....

When you wanted to adopt,and you started researching countries....What factored in on where you would adopt from? Was it the age, race, condition of the child? Or was it because there were alot of successful adoptions coming home from that country, Or maybe your friends adopted from that country? What really factors in on where, why, how, and even what medical conditions you would accept? Who ever really knows, We started Madisyn's adoption back in 2006 and I had NO idea where Guatemala even was, What made me choose that country. Honestly because I found a local agency, Joined that agency's yahoo group....And there were lots of families around my county that were in process of adopting from there at the time. There were lots of referrals going out and why not there were people around to follow me through it! Now I have my beautiful little girl, Well within months of her coming home we knew immediately that we wanted to do it again but we didn't know how or from where. Our first thought was we would do Guatemala again but that quickly faded with the closing of adoptions within months of us deciding to do it again and we knew we could not afford it months after Madisyn came home. So I research countries again, Now 2007 and I'm doing more research...I feel in love with Ethiopia, but the fee's there and the on-going successful adoptions we couldn't do that either! So then came Thailand Oh how I love the faces of Thailand, the culture, the food, Everything about it...Except the way they do adoptions, I'm not patient by no means and something else that turns my stomach is where it is located, Okay what does that matter one might say and I answer I'm very claustrophobic I do not like tight spaces, Little spaces, or anything where there are alot of people!! I hyperventilate and sometimes have anxiety attacks to where I may need an ambulance...Okay so Thailand is a 24-26 hour plane ride, 10-14 days in country and the soaring prices of airline tickets I"M not excited about Thailand...I do not feel it! Maybe it is the lack of communication by the agency I don't know but I'm not feeling Thailand... BUT we know we want another child, We know we want Madisyn to have a sibling NO DOUBT about it, so after months of researching this agency right here in our own backyard, We signed with them, The homestudy is being updated for this agency, and we are already inquired on a couple of waiting Newborns...Yes you read it write a newborn, born in New York and we are in line to adopt one of these beautiful infants!!! I have all the baby items I need because we saved Grace's, We are still requesting a boy so WE have NO boy clothes but that is all we need...This agency has reasonable rates because they base it on your income, and then we have travel cost from FL to NY and then re adoption in Florida and that is it!!! That is all this is going to cost us...Are we excited YOU have no idea...We've wanted a newborn after we lost Grace and I just hid it from myself in fear of being ripped apart again...But I think this is it, I'm sitting down and holding on for this ride, I've been standing and wanting to jump but not anymore! We are here for the wait, Which may not be long if we get picked soon, maybe a couple months at the most. SO please guys know that I need prayers, We are totally comfortable and at peace with our decision. And I need my friends out there to be Happy for us too!!!! I love you guys from the bottom of our hearts....

My Angel Baby

Miss Madisyn over the past Year and a half....

Almost WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

" She didn't want her Photo Taken"

Just Call me Craigslist Queen....

EDITED: We got accepted by the agency....ACK we got accepted by the agency, now we have to pay the $1600.00

You can just call me the Craigslist Queen...I have listed everything on craigslist this weekend from Madisyn's toys that she doesn't play with to Needing more children to watch. I even sold Jed's old ugly dresser on craigslist. WAY TO GO ME.....I'm cleaning out closets, drawers,even kitchen cabinets(well no not really) but kinda, I have formula and baby food left over from Grace and it doesn't expire until 2009 so why not put it on Craigslist. There will be a Raffle coming up and I guess it won't be the camcorder since NO one was interested, So how bout another outfit!

Application in HAND & Puppies Gone BAD......

Well I was going to do Wordless Wednesday but I have too much to talk about. First off our Application left here on Monday the 14th of July and was 2nd day aired to Washington St. So it is now in the hands of the Agency. We are getting more and more excited about this second adoption. And just so everyone knows we are going on total FAITH for this adoption because we only have a little money saved toward it, So please pray that all works out.

And about the puppy, Our sweet little Black & White cocker spaniel KENZIE....She is the sweetest thing you have ever seen, Cutest thing you have ever seen, and the meanest thing you have ever seen. She is constantly nipping at the kids I watch and at Madisyn. So our hearts are broken after I put her on Craigslist yesterday and she was re-adopted within 30 minutes. I just can't risk one of the children getting bit. I love Kenzie dearly but not enough for a child to get hurt.

BYE BYE Application, and HELLO second Adoption

Who would ever think a face like that could bite anything except a toilet paper roll...

And now for some cuteness, Just because she is adorable....

Oh and guess what I was on a Craigslist kick yesterday, I finally decided to part with Gracie's baby stuff after all Conner is 3, So it went on Craigslist, JED's Dresser went on Craigslist and like I mentioned before so did Kenzie...The dresser, SOLD, Kenzie, Readopted....Baby stuff still available....Working toward getting rid of stuff so we can bring Conner home...

CAR WASH RESULTS & New Hair Color + A little RATED R

Okay to start off the Car wash did okay, We brought in $104.00, Which is awesome since we only washed about 7 cars. It was really cloudy and nobody was stopping. Maybe at the Aug.2 one we will do a little better but every dollar helps so we aren't complaining. And onto my hair, Every time I hit the salon I leave $95.00 poorer....Well with this adoption going on I went to Walmart bought 2 boxes(my hair is really thick) of Deep Burgundy hair dye and asked my niece to come over and dye it. So $6.00+tax later I have dark hair and I happen to LOVE it.

And the RATED R, My daughter was so cute the other night I could help but take a picture and of coarse I couldn't go without sharing it with my friends.....So hope you are having a great weekend!

All these are Self Portraits, because my husband can't seem to focus on my head when I ask him to do it....And we will leave it at that!

And he did take this one, So I cropped it, This is so you can see that my hair is actually a deep Burgundy and not black like the last pictures tend to look, I guess the flash was too close. And plus I had to include my mean little Kenzie...

Never mind the hideous dresser in the back ground, It is actually on it's way OUT the door, I've hated that ugly thing since I met Jed and he is finally parting with it..

Just look at that face, Every now and then I can grab the camera and she will say CHEESE~

And now for the RATED R picture, If you are offended in anyway Don't read any further.....And yes that is my daughters BUTT on her blog, and if you are offended by a baby's butt then you need to seek physiological help immediately.....Matter of fact turn your computer OFF and

dial 9-1-1........

Who couldn't love a naked butt in a pair of HIGH HEEL SHOES...OMG it was hilarious!!!

CAR WASH is Aproaching.....

Tomorrow Saturday July.12th is One of the Two Car Washes we have scheduled. The morning is suppose to be clear and Afternoon thunderstorms moving in later. Please pray for us that this car wash is successful and that the weather does hold out until we are done. This is the first Fund Raiser besides Madisyn's clothes that we are doing.

And I found out something good today, We only have to come up with the agency fee for now, And the rest comes right before Travel...so instead of $5000.00 right now it is only $1800.00! This makes us very happy because it gives us more time to come up with the money. We told the agency to move forward with the little boy we saw, And the application is being over nighted to the agency on Monday. From there the home study will be updated and to the USCIS, and the ball will be rolling.. WOOOHOOO Our Second Adoption has officially Begun. Please Pray!!!!!!

Come Home CONNER...We love you Sweetboy

I CHEATED....Favorite Foto Friday #48 Hooray for the RED WHITE & BLUE

Okay I cheated a litte by using the same Collauge I posted a couple of days ago, Well everybody seemed to like it and it was done on the 4th of July and is Full of RED WHITE & BLUE...

Enjoy

What a Fast Week that was.....WOW

I hope everyone had a Happy July 4th....I know we did, We went over some friends house for a Big Ole' Bar-B-Que, They had lots of FOOD there and lots of friends so it was a blast. Madisyn spent most of the day running around and riding on a golf cart. SHE loved every minute of it. I wanted to include some pics from 4th of July 07' because it just blows my mind how much she has changed. Last year we had the cookout and everyone came here, And that is when Madisyn little Toddler Tude starting working...As you can see below. Hope you enjoy the pics

Madisyn Sporting her Tude' July 4th 2007

She was so cute...Just learning to walk

Now to 2008 Madisyn has changed in so many ways....She is absolutely Gorgeous and we love every minute of her...Well almost every minute except the ones where she cries for NO reason we don't really like those moments...But we are capable of dealing with it. Here are some photo opps of her while in a good mood..After about the 5th picture though I had to stop, She got the fake smile going and started to whine...OH the joys of "Terrible Two's"........................

She loved this little Radio Flyer Trike...SO cute

Madisyn holding her first Sparkler, Yeah I was a nervous wreck but I did manage to uncover my eyes long enough to snap this picture

I love this picture this is my new favorite picture of her...

She is so dang Cute...OMG I just can't help it

Daddy had to get in and get him some, He was feeling left out

How about a kiss Daddy, You hung the moon right??

What is it about Girls with there Daddy's??

Okay now for a video, I love the way she was walking in the first part It was so cute

A Get Real Challenge...R U READY

Well my good friend Angel gave everyone a challenge today, And it is called the Get Real challenge. I love this because alot of people hide behind reality. First off I want to say that I love Angel, She is an awesome person and I can't wait to meet her one day. She has taught me to live my dreams and that is exactly what I am doing...I try to be as real as can be on my children's blog but sometimes not everything shows but alot does. Not to long ago I was judged because of my ability to want to adopt again but then again my family was buying unnecessary items for our home. But that did not stop me or neither will any other comment I receive. Here is my day of "GETTING REAL".....

The economy is falling and it is falling fast. We are DEAD broke. We have grocery's and Madisyn has diapers but that about limits it. Our bills are a little late, But not major. But we still want to adopt again. Do we have the money to shell out for this adoption to bring home Conner well absolutely not, But will we give up our dream of having a son because we don't have the money up front to bring him home.

HELL NO WE WON'T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AS dead broke as we are, That little boy who we already call our son will come home to us.

I babysit 2-3 extra kids a day and my husband works two jobs, Do I get frustrated YOU bet I do. But it doesn't get me down.....I love my life and it is time for everyone out there to GET REAL.

So R U up for Getting Real on your Blog?? Go over to Angel's blog and leave your link with your "Get Real Post"...

I'm Up for it are You?

Info and I've been tagged.....

I have been tagged by Corey.....

5 things on my to do list:

1~ Raise enough money to do our second adoption

2~ Make my family happy daily

3~ Keep my house cleaned

4~ Start Madisyn on potty training

5~ Bake something for bake sale

Something I enjoy~Fruity Pepples (rather have this than steak)

How funny is it~ Hearing Madisyn say er it is (Here it is)

Things I'd do if i was a millionaire~ Help orphans Country Wide, Invest in something, Pay off all our bills, Help my dad, and adopt about 5 more kids with a nanny..

Well I don't have a whole lot to say these days...Our days are pretty boring. There is one question is the fall in the Economy killing every family or just us? These prices are knocking us down..But we will manage. Here are some cute pictures..Hope you enjoy

Here is Gracie Girl, I do still get pics somewhat if I beg for them...She is getting so big, But doesn't look as happy as when she was with us..Maybe I'm biased!

And what do you do when you are bored outta your mind..

This is what I did, Rearranged out cabinets to put boxes with boxes, veggies with veggies, you get my drift....

~~I was really really BORED Saturday~~

And now for some cuteness....Madisyn is so sweet/mean when she wants to be.

But we love her to the moon and back...She is our Angel Baby

And Conner: some have asked about this process...Well as I am learning via the web it is a very simple process but VERY VERY lengthy..Which happens to be okay with us because we have to come up with $5000.00 at referrell(and since we already hopefully found him) would be NOW!!
Then we have to come up with around $5000-$6000 at travel. Depending on travel prices at that time. The Dossier is very simple...I can have it done in a matter of weeks. Some of it is already done. We are waiting on Medical/More Info on the little boy who shares the same birthday as my MOM...But here is a little of the process:
~ Send in App
~ Have Homestudy Update/Update sent to USCIS
~ After all is accepted by Agency you get your dossier packet
~ Send in Completed Notarized Dossier
~ Agency gets it all State/Country Certified
~ Certified Dossier goes to Thailand
~ Wait to be approved by Thailand
~ Receive your Court Hearing
~ Travel for 7-10 days in Country doing all your own paperwork(kinda scared about this)
~ Come home
~ After Finalized with your state
~ Recieve invite to register with Thai Consulate
~ YOUR DONE~

Hope this helps you understand the process a little better....Not to bad once the money comes around. But I'm not going to let Money issues stop me from adopting. We really want a little boy and Madisyn needs a sibling. She isn't too good at being an only child, She loves other kids around.

Favorite FOTO Friday #46 = "SUMMER LOVIN"

We are loving the summer..All though I babysit other children so we really don't get a summer break unless I request it. So here are some pictures of us enjoying our SUMMER LOVIN....

Here is Madisyn enjoying her pool in our yard....

And here again at the beach enjoying the pool with Daddy...

Me and my Hubby walking on the beach holding hands..(Well DOH)

And of coarse some SUMMER LOVIN for real...

And now for my weekly raffle, Don't forget to check it out...Click Here I did include a bigger size outfit this week for those with a little older children..Please check it out only 3 days left.

Please look at the post below here, There is a video of Madisyn that is too cute.

A short Video and my sweet baby...

Here are a few pics I snapped of Madisyn the past couple of nights...She now likes to play on my bed singing One little Monkey..And yes she knows the whole Song........GO NOGGIN!!!!!!!!!!!!

To me here she looks like Sabrina with Michelle Smiles

Did I mention lately How much I love this Girl...She is my angel baby!!! Not to mention look at my baby's perfect teeth....WOW

And probably one of my first few attempts at a video...I think it is cute less the darkness...

Alot on my mind..And my Amazing Daughter

Of coarse blogger won't let me upload pics...SUCKS, but I have lot weighing on my heart lately. I miss Grace like Crazy cakes....I thought by now I would be over it, but guess what I'm not. Not sure yet how to really deal with it. This month represented Two years ago I lost my 33 year old sister, And I wonder how and the heck could it of been two years already!
And Madisyn, WOW when she turned two another child formed outside of her body. She now wants to eat non-stop(couldn't get her to eat a full meal before)....SHE says complete sentences, and something that will melt your heart is we say I love you Madisyn and she responds with "Love you too Mama"...OMG can she now do anything wrong???

I have alot of stuff running through my mind, and in my heart. As soon as I work it out in my own head I will share it with all of you...For now I'm sorry for no pics...ThankS Blogger